The Carval HR Software Blog

A third (34%) of employees would prefer a more flexible approach to working hours than a 3% pay rise.

Investors in People's Job Exodus Trends poll asked respondents to choose between two scenarios – a 3% pay rise in line with recent UK increases, or a different non-remuneration benefit.

As well as those looking for a more flexible working life, nearly a third (28%) said they would rather have a clear career progression route and a quarter (24%) would prefer their employer invested in their training and development more.

Staff on zero-hours contracts benefit from work-life balance and feel under less pressure, says CIPD

Zero-hours contract (ZHC) employees are as happy as permanent, full-time workers, a CIPD report has found.

The survey suggests that, on average, ZHC employees experience similar levels of job satisfaction, work-life balance and personal wellbeing to employees on permanent, full-time contracts, and comparable satisfaction levels in their relationship with their managers and colleagues.

However, the report also found that, while the majority of ZHC employees choose to work part-time (88%), they are more likely than part-time employees to say they would like to work additional hours, with 22% wanting more hours.

It’s National Anti-Bullying Week, and shockingly, Acas have reported that over the past year they received around 20,000 calls about harassment and bullying at work. It seems that workplace bullying is a growing problem in Britain and many people are simply too afraid to speak up about it.

Bullying is defined as any unwanted behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated, degraded, humiliated or offended. It’s not necessarily always apparent to others, and may be happening in the workplace without your awareness.

People don’t always feel confident enough to complain, particularly if the harasser is a manager or senior member of staff. Sometimes, they’ll quite simply resign.

It’s therefore very important for employers to ensure that staff are fully aware of the options available to them when it comes to bullying or harassment, and that these of course remain confidential.

These findings provide some real eye-opening truths on the current state of bullying in the workplace, and it’s vital that employers reflect on these results and have a good look at their working environment.

Start taking action today to ensure that your business is fully implementing anti-bullying policies and utilising managers with good people management skills.

As a HR and Payroll Software supplier, Carval often gets asked by new clients "How much data should I transfer from my old HR system?". There is no straightforward answer to this.

In the UK a complex regulatory regime governs the length of time for which HR records should be stored. How long they should be kept - and when they should be destroyed too. Here we look at some considerations.

High staff turnover can be a problem for any company. Teams typically rely on each and every member to keep things moving forward, so when someone leaves, it can often disrupt progress.

Not to mention, you've invested time, energy, and money in recruiting and training. When someone leaves, you need to repeat the process.

Retaining employees -- like retaining clients and customers -- is one of the best ways to keep your team on track towards their goals. So how do you create an environment that makes people want to stay? How to you keep your best talent?

We've detailed five tips for creating more loyal employees to help your business avoid turnover.

How pay decisions can affect your company’s productivity and four ways that your HR software can help you balance employee reward and motivation.

We often read today in the press that UK pay rises are now seemingly outpacing the falling levels of inflation and generally it’s reported that people are benefitting from increases in both earnings and income levels. However, employee satisfaction surveys are indicating that despite these positive trends there is still a large number of employees who do not feel that they are rewarded enough.

So why does there seem to be this discrepancy? From research and feedback in the HR world it seems that delivering and maintaining longer-term and sustainable financial wellbeing remains a challenge for many employers, employees and their families.